Halloween was just upon us, and along with scary movies, trick or treating, and the occasional summer camp hack n’ slash, we turn our thoughts to holiday-themed television shows and more importantly, comics. Continue reading →

Are there more terrible things happening today, or are we more aware of each and every terrible thing because of the increasing connectedness of our society? The news media is constantly flooding us with images Continue reading →

As a writer and occasional fan of science fiction and fantasy, I have of course read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, two benchmark books in the creation on sustainability of a fictional world. To instill a sense of reality and solidity in a complete fiction is a mountainous realm of improbability. How do you make it feel real while continuing to keep it interesting? Continue reading →

I hope you all are in the midst of a post-NCBD slumber, snoozing beneath the spread leaves of the comics you passed out reading last night, your head resting lightly on those yet to be opened, their bindings still crisp and staples shiny. For the rest of us the week wears on, and next week’s NCB day looms.

Next week, on April 16, Bandette #7 is scheduled to release.

I’ve been absent from the BrainTrust for a bit now, but I return now, in huge, Monekybrain-ed fashion, not to preview a book, but to tell you why you should be reading Bandette. Continue reading →

Story by Chris Roberson & Dennis Culver
Written by Dennis Culver
Artwork by Dennis Culver
Color Artwork by Stephen Downer

In many ways human culture is obsessed with the very nature of time as it relates to our lives. We see ourselves through a lense of our past, though it is a biased and individually skewed one depending on what our outlook on life tends to be. We look ahead fueled by our dreams and tempered with our worries and faults, and we try to find an idealized future within these confines. We abstractly think of the paths and choices that may lead to such a life, trying to find direction.

The mind is a mystery. Modern science has yet to understand why humans use only a small portion of their brains. That is part of the reason why it is such a ripe fruit for the picking when it comes to popular culture and entertainment. Continue reading →

This week I’ve decided to focus again on some of the fantastic and original work coming out of Monkeybrain Comics. It’s a beautiful thing to see a small company backing creators as they produce their original work. Those are the kinds of business practices that are redeeming in this country, a chance for us to see what can happen when creators are given free reign. And with that kind of business you attract the kinds of people you want in that business. Continue reading →

Mask of the Red Panda is based on The Red Panda Adventures, a faux old-timey pulp radio show following the exploits of the eponymous masked hero in a trench coat and his sidekick, the Flying Squirrel. However, this comic is my first exposure to the characters Continue reading →

Written by Michael Moreci
Illustrations by Keith Burns
Color by Chris Beckett
Letters by Jim Campbell

*Moderate Spoilers

Happy New Comic Book Day! On this most joyous of weekdays, perhaps as you’re browsing about in the virtual bins at Comixology, you happen upon Hoaxhunters and remember that they’re on sabbatical. But how to get your Moreci fix? Continue reading →

Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Dennis Culver
Colored by Stephen Downer
Lettering by John J. Hill
Released by Monkeybrain Comics

*Limited Spoilers

I often bemoan my proximity to a comic shop. This week I understand that it could actually be a blessing in disguise. If I were in the vicinity of a pull box with my name on it I’m certain as to what titles would be in there. Continue reading →

I’ve noticed in past months that small publisher Monkeybrain Comics has been putting out comics at a rate that seems almost unreal. To keep up with the constant, high-end output of this indie powerhouse, we here at bagandbored.net are going to try out a feature here that will cover recent comics. For the inaugural piece, I’ve got three title, five books total, to run through with you, faithful reader. No matter what your feeling on indie comics as a whole, I’ve found that Monkeybrain is constantly at the top of its game. Continue reading →

I began reviewing comics for Bagandbored.net about six months ago. I was so fired up to get into it, but I specified, when I talked to our fearless leader, Cory, that I would be in more than a little bit of a jam when it comes to reviewing books. I am not near a comic store. So to get a gig that is so centered on ever changing wall books, or even monthly, well…it wouldn’t be easy. Continue reading →

Aside: In college I took a pre-requisite class on publishing your work. I submitted a story that I meant to publish to the prof and was rebutted with…”this is fun. Too bad there’s no place to publish the fun stuff…”

Now I saw to you…college prof…there is a place to publish the “fun stuff”. Look no further than Boo at Monkeybrain Comics, and you’ll see that there are people out there doing just that. Filling our heads with “the fun stuff”. Thank you Jon Morris and Manning Krull. Continue reading →

We’ve all seen the photo of “batboy” the wide-eyed, pointy-toothed creature found in a cave in…wherever. Often we don’t think that there could be some truth to these stories. How far would you be willing to go to find the truth? What would you risk? Your job? Your safety? Norma Parks has taken on that very problem Continue reading →

Look! Up in the sky…it’s a bird…it’s a plane…it has a fantastic moustache! Captain Ultimate swoops in to save the day again, his facial hair buffeted by the wind as he takes the bad guys out. Issue 2 of Captain Ultimate is on the stands now, and promises to be more exciting that the first. Continue reading →

My thanks to monkeybrain comics and bagandbored.net, they’ve done my job for me this week. Heartbreakers was originally published in Dark Horse Presents #35 on December 1, 1989, so that puts it smack in the middle of my usual era for longbox reading. Continue reading →